


Post-Massacre Guilt Disorder

by LostInTheW00ds (LemonHead2221)



Category: Happy Tree Friends
Genre: but i like it, the violence warning is just because I went too hard on Flippy's post murder description, this is basically Splendid and Flippy talking, this is more of a character study than a proper story
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-21
Updated: 2020-09-21
Packaged: 2021-03-07 17:21:00
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,338
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26571319
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LemonHead2221/pseuds/LostInTheW00ds
Summary: When there is nobody left to save in Happy Tree Town, local superhero Splendid goes home to talk to the killer.(Lighter than it sounds)
Relationships: Flippy & Splendid (Happy Tree Friends)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 14





	Post-Massacre Guilt Disorder

**Author's Note:**

> I'm writing something to explain this, but basically Splendid works for the news and, since he doesn't have enough money to rent an apartment for himself, Flippy lets him stay in his house.  
> Hope you enjoy!

Splendid did not say or ask anything, but he did sit down next to the pile of blankets next to the bed, resting his chin on his knees. There wasn't a single sound coming from the town, not even from Lumpy's trailer. Somehow, even he was among the corpses. Everyone was. Splendid hadn't seen a massacre of that size since… well, since Class Act, and that was saying something. Although that time he had also died. But the feeling after that was more of the one after an accident, like a car crash or even an earthquake, than the pure massacre from today.  
“I'm sorry”, the pile of blankets said.  
“For?” Splendid replied, trying to guess which of the few possible responses he would receive.  
“For leaving you with nothing to do. I know you hate it when there is no one left to save.”  
Splendid shrugged, although the pile of blankets couldn't see it.  
“It's ok. Sometimes saving those people is a pain in the neck. Don't… don't tell anyone I said that, please.”  
The top of the pile moved down and up. Splendid took that as a nod.  
“Sorry”, it repeated.  
Well, he was talking already, so it wouldn’t hurt to ask some questions, right?  
“What flipped you?” Splendid asked.  
“Some children were throwing water balloons at each other, but instead of water there was paint… or maybe ketchup? Anyway, one flew over a fence and popped and the way it spilled on the ground… a friend of mine was shot in the neck once and the effect was exactly the same, I… I thought for a second that… the city and the children… maybe I was daydreaming all along and… I was actually… I was still…”  
“It's ok, you don't have to say it if you don't want to.”  
The pile's top went down and up once more.  
A comfortable silence fell upon them. Splendid listened as the pile of blankets' breath slowed down until it sounded like it was asleep. Then it said:  
“I should go take a shower.” Splendid made a low "huh?". A hand came from under the blankets and threw the pile over the head that controlled it.  
Flippy truly did look like he needed a shower. His hair, face and shoulders were dripping with so much red that it seemed like someone had thrown a bucket of blood over his head. His clothes were stained in ways that gave the superhero the unnerving impression that bloody hands had tried to hold to them before slipping off. Flippy was still holding his knife, which looked like what you'd picture a murder weapon to look like: dirty and soaked. Some of the blood was running down the blade and leaving trails on the hand that held it before joining the little growing puddle under his feet. All over him, there were small pieces of pink, brown and several other tones of red tissue that made Splendid want to cut his own belly open just to check if he didn't need to sew anything back together in his own body. Flippy looked monstrous and disgusting in a way that no other could imitate. And he didn't even seem bothered by his current appearance, because he did not make any other move to stand up or even move towards the bathroom.  
Flippy smiled.  
“Lift your chin, gentleman, I’m not that stunning”, he joked.  
Splendid forced himself to look away. He had seen his fair amount of butchery in life, mainly considering where he lived, but there was too much of a “not-an-accident” feeling about it when Flippy was involved. Or maybe it was just the notion that he could take care of himself, which rendered the superhero basically useless in a dangerous way. Whatever it was, it intrigued him.  
“Now that’s where you’re mistaken, my dear princess”, Splendid joked back. “I have never in my life seen so much beauty.”  
“Well, in this case I recommend you look for a psychiatrist because you, gentleman, have some serious problems.”  
“Hey, I’m not the only one who has problems around here!”  
Flippy gave him a side smile.  
“Are you implying I have problems?”  
“No way, your highness, I am merely pointing out the fact that your beauty is astonishing.”  
They stared at each other for some seconds before both burst in laughter.  
“What a mess Fliqpy made outside this time, huh?” Flippy stated with a casual and slightly amused tone in his voice.  
“The worst butchery in the history of this town”, Splendid agreed. “It’ll be hard to keep out of the news tomorrow, but I’ll try to convince my boss to not report it.”  
Flippy waved his hand, the already dry blood luckily not spilling anywhere.  
“You don’t have to, there’s nothing much to it. If you’re lucky, you may even get an interview with the killer!”  
His cheery tone slowly faded into an expression of bitterness and guilt. Splendid observed him for a moment.  
“It's not another person, is it?” He asked. “There's no Fliqpy. You are the one who kills them, aren't you?”  
Flippy looked at him, curious: “How did you know?”  
“You are too smart to blame yourself for something other people did, even if they use your body for it.”  
“Is that so?” Flippy looked away. “No, there isn’t anyone else. But please, don’t put that on your interview. People feel safer if they believe someone else uses my body to kill instead of myself.”  
Splendid nodded. “Of course.” They remained in a comfortable silence while he tried to make a mental sketch of a report. “Is it on purpose?”  
“Yes”, Flippy let out before he could think about it. “But at the same time it’s not”, he added.  
“What do you mean?”  
“When I ‘flip out’, I don’t see the people around me as themselves. Or maybe I do, but the point is that I feel absolutely sure that they are trying to kill me. Even if that doesn’t make a lot of sense…” Flippy looked at Splendid, afraid he was being too confusing, but found a fully attentive listener in the other’s place. He continued: “At those moments, it’s kill or be killed. I can’t think clearly and what is happening at the moment keeps intertwining with memories of when I was in combat, which makes the danger seem more real. Sometimes I will believe my friends are all dead and those I see are impostors.”  
“That sucks”, Splendid pointed out. Flippy gave him a weak laugh.  
“It does… Do you remember my birthday party?”  
“Who could have forgotten _that_?” Splendid faked a shiver. “I got paid three times the usual to cover that one because nobody else wanted to go.”  
Flippy laughed out loud this time. “Wow, I’m glad to know that was good for someone! Anyway, that day I swear I believed Flaky was about to be tortured to death.”  
“Why her?”  
Flippy shrugged. “Maybe because she wasn’t in shape to harm anyone. I don’t know. I just know it was like that. It’s a constant feeling of panic and adrenaline that doesn’t end until I or the one I’m trying to protect is safe. So it is on purpose, but technically it isn’t.”  
“Hmmm…” Splendid muttered. “That’s interesting. Have you ever told that to anyone?”  
“I did once, before coming back. You’d be surprised if you knew how much more people here trust me just because they think the killer is another person in my body.”  
“So it’s just better for everyone if they believe that.” Flippy nodded. Splendid leaned back and rested his back against the bed rail. “Welp, less stuff for me to write. Now why don’t you go take a shower so that we can have an actual interview with a decent photo of you?”  
Flippy smiled. “I do look horrible, don’t I?” He stood up.  
“Worse than horrible. Go, my stomach is twisting just to look at you.”  
“Liar!” Flippy yelled from the bathroom, earning from Splendid a smile he couldn’t see.

**Author's Note:**

> So, thank you for reading! This is my take on what actually happens when Flippy "flips out". I find this to make more sense than the DID/MPD theories. Anyway, thanks again for reading and please comment what you think! ^^


End file.
